On August 17, 1978, three American adventurers made aviation history when the Double Eagle II became the first manned balloon to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean. Piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman, the helium-filled balloon completed an extraordinary six-day journey that demonstrated both the possibilities of lighter-than-air flight and the remarkable determination of its crew.
The Double Eagle II had departed from Presque Isle, Maine, on August 11. According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the balloon stood 112 feet high and 65 feet in diameter, with a capacity of 160,000 cubic feet. The three men traveled in a relatively small gondola known as the Spirit of Albuquerque, which was designed with flotation capability in case they were forced to land in the Atlantic.
Such precautions were hardly unnecessary. Crossing the Atlantic by balloon had frustrated adventurers for more than a century. Between 1859 and 1978, 17 attempts had failed, with at least seven balloonists losing their lives. Abruzzo and Anderson themselves had attempted the crossing aboard the Double Eagle I in 1977. That effort ended when they were blown off course and forced to ditch near Iceland after 66 hours in the air. Abruzzo suffered frostbite during the ordeal, but the failure did not end their ambitions. The following year, they returned with Newman as their third crew member.
Their second attempt brought plenty of danger. The men endured extreme temperatures and survived on simple provisions, including hot dogs and canned sardines. One of the most frightening moments came as atmospheric conditions caused the balloon to plunge from roughly 20,000 feet to just 4,000 feet. The crew threw ballast overboard and managed to climb back to a safer altitude. By the evening of August 16, however, they had reached Ireland, putting the Atlantic behind them.
The next day, Double Eagle II passed over England and continued toward France. The crew had hoped to reach Le Bourget near Paris—the same airfield where Charles Lindbergh completed his historic solo transatlantic airplane flight in 1927—but winds carried the balloon slightly off course. Shortly before dusk on August 17, Abruzzo, Anderson and Newman landed safely near Miserey, France, west of Paris.
Their historic voyage lasted 137 hours and covered more than 3,000 miles, establishing new ballooning records and accomplishing a feat generations of aeronauts had attempted without success. The achievement opened a new chapter in ballooning history, paving the way for later transoceanic and around-the-world flights. Today, the gondola of the Double Eagle II is preserved by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum—a reminder of the three men who crossed an ocean with little more than helium, favorable winds, and an extraordinary willingness to take a risk.
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